


Anemoia

by TwinkieMonsterTallah



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Attempt at short and sweet, Post-Dragon Age: Inquisition, Pre-Dragon Age: Inquisition - Trespasser DLC, Probably failed lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-20
Updated: 2019-11-20
Packaged: 2021-02-16 01:21:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21499495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwinkieMonsterTallah/pseuds/TwinkieMonsterTallah
Summary: Anemoia - n. nostalgia for a time you've never known.
Relationships: Iron Bull/Male Lavellan
Kudos: 7





	Anemoia

In the days after the defeat of Corypheus, while all of the celebrating was dying down and efforts were being turned to finding the last of Corypheus’ army, Aiden found himself retiring to his room to watch the aurora at night. Something about it made him feel… nostalgic? Wistful? He couldn’t place his finger on it. 

On yet another evening after dealing with more Ferelden nobles who wanted to meet the Inquisitor (as if they weren’t snubbing his name just weeks earlier), Aiden was leaning on the balcony and staring up. The shimmer from the aurora was captivating, enough so that he didn’t realize Iron Bull was walking up behind him until the giant man was speaking. 

“Urmph…” Bull grunted, making Aiden jump. “It’s pretty, but it’s magic.” 

“Creators Bull, give me some warning! I almost jumped off the balcony!” 

They both knew Aiden was joking, but his tone gave away that he was still distracted, so Bull leaned down next to him. “What’s on your mind Boss?” 

Aiden sighed and looked back at the sky. “…I’m not sure. I guess… Bull, do you ever wonder what’s been forgotten?” 

“I’ll have to admit you’ve lost me. Care to elaborate?” 

“Written history only goes back, I believe, a thousand years? And we only have bits of history from before that time. What do we have today that ancient people left behind?” Aiden asked. “We elves have a few overgrown ruins lost in the wilds; the dwarves have thousands of miles of Deep Roads, and Par Vollen has the pyramids, but what else is there?” 

Bull nodded for Aiden to go on. 

“Someday… someday, the Inquisition, our people, our fight against Corypheus, it will all fade from history into legend.” Aiden continued. “Someday after that, it will be completely forgotten. People in the future will make up their own stories about how that aurora got there. There will be a day when no one will remember who we were or what we did.” 

“You’re wondering if someone has saved the world like this before, and no one remembers them now.” Bull followed Aiden's trail of thought. “You wonder if we’ll end up like that.” 

Aiden nodded. “Yes, I do. What have they done for us that we benefit from now? What do we tell ourselves is natural, but in fact came from the hard work and sacrifices of people long ago?” 

Bull offered, “The Veil is supposed to be magic, right?” 

“Elven legend states that Fen’harel trapped the rest of the Creators behind the Veil, taking away our magic and immortality, but humans believe that the Veil was created before everything and everyone. Only one can be right though, so which one is it? Or was the Veil made by something else entirely?” 

Pushing off of the railing, Aiden turned around and walked back into the bedroom. “The Breach was caused by Corypheus, using an ancient elven orb; this is what we know as fact, but just like there are multiple explanations for the Veil, someday there will be multiple explanations for the Breach. Even now there are questions. Where did the orb come from? Why was it able to open the Breach and create the Anchor? How did Corypheus know about it? These are the things people will make up for themselves, and these are the stories that will become history and then myth.” 

Trying to get to the root of Aiden's problem, Bull asked, “What made you begin thinking all of this?” 

Turning to face him, Aiden sighed. “I just… it’s stupid, but the aurora… makes me feel almost nostalgic, but that’s not quite it. It’s bothering me, so I thought maybe if I tried to figure out what the feeling is, I can put it behind me, but all I have done is think myself in circles.” 

“It sounds like, in trying to discover the emotion, you’ve also lost it.” Bull strode forward and gently took Aiden's hands. Pulling him slowly back to the balcony, Bull looked up at the aurora with Aiden. “Don’t think, just feel, and tell me what it is.” 

Aiden watched the aurora weave through the sky for a long time before saying, “It makes me think of long ago, but not a ‘long ago’ that I would know. All it is is a vague feeling of sadness, and longing, and maybe a bittersweet memory of laughter.” 

“What do you think it means?” 

After several minutes of silence, he answered. “I think,” Aiden stood back again, “it means I’m tired, and I would like to go to bed. This is a matter that I believe will be better dealt with when I’m more awake.” 

Bull held a hand out, gesturing to the bed that Aiden walked to and flopped across. 

The two of them were dead asleep not ten minutes later.

**Author's Note:**

> Aiden's gonna get an answer for those questions, but boy howdy he's not gonna like it.


End file.
